Kurt OD In Belfast

Melody Maker - July 4th, 1992

Nirvana Star Rushed to Hospital With "Mystery Stomach Bug"


Kurt Cobain was rushed to hospital the morning after Nirvana’s Belfast King’s Hall show last week. Cobain collapsed at the band’s hotel during breakfast and was taken by wheelchair into a waiting ambulance. Nirvana’s representatives in the UK are vigorously denying rumours that Cobain’s latest collapse - he’s reported to have had several in the past - is due to alleged drug abuse.

Their spokesman told The Maker: "We had breakfast about nine in the morning in the hotel with a couple of the crew. Kurt was complaining that he had a stomach ache. The next moment he was violently sick. Everyone thought he’d just had too much to drink. We spoke to the tour manager and he called in the doctor. She came and said, "Get him to hospital." They called an ambulance. He was in hospital for about half an hour and they gave him some tablets. It’s a weeping ulcer. I’ve known him far three years and he’s always had it. It’s because he eats a lot of junk food."

According to the spokesman there was also a skirmish at the venue the night before, though no one The Maker contacted could confirm this.

"Kurt saw a bouncer beating up a kid so he went to intervene," the spokesman said. "A scuffle broke out and the bouncer came round behind him and punched him in the side of his stomach a couple of times. I think the guy has since been sacked. Kurt was complaining of the pain the next day."

Since their massive leap to fame, Nirvana have become the subject of all kinds of rumours. The most persistent is that Cobain’s ill health will force the band to pull out of their scheduled Reading Festival appearance. Two weeks ago a fed-up Nirvana spokesman issued a press release angrily maintaining that their Reading show will go ahead. It ended, "Nirvana are playing fucking Reading!"

Replying to the speculation that Cobain’s collapse was connected with an alleged heroin overdose, the band’s spokesman told The Maker: "Everyone’s been saying that, but there s nothing in it. I mean, how many times did Kurt supposedly die in car crashes last year. Some people claim he started the LA riots. It’s all bullshit. It’s just cos they’re the most copy-worthy band in the world right now.

Speculation regarding Cobain’s health has been rife in the American press far some time A Bam magazine journalist hinted very strongly as to what he thought was the cause a Kurt’s languor in a recent article and an article in Hits magazine reiterated the accusation albeit more discreetly. However, responding to the accusations in Rolling Stone magazine, Cobain said "All drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with your self-esteem. They’re no good at all. But I’m not going to go round preaching against it. It’s your choice, but in my experience, I’ve found they’re a waste of time."